The present invention relates generally to an eye shade, and more particularly to improved eye shades that may be worn on the forehead.
The eyes are, by nature, particularly sensitive organs and as such need to be carefully looked after. Exposure of the eyes to direct sunlight or indeed the reflected glare of sunlight can cause a variety of problems, ranging from simple discomfort to permanent damage. These are problems which are experienced by anybody who spends any length of time in the sun, this includes everybody from sportsmen to holiday-makers etc., and therefore the requirement for means which reduce the significance of these problems, is great. In some circumstances it may be necessary to protect the eyes from other sources of bright light.
Conventional means for protecting the eyes include tinted glasses, commonly referred to as sunglasses. The structure of a pair of sunglasses is such that they rest on the bridge of the nose and tops of the ears. The weight of the sunglasses on these points is noticeable and while they reduce the discomfort associated with direct sunlight, they may still be uncomfortable to the wearer. If the wearer also wishes to shade the crown of his head as well as shading his eyes, he must generally also wear a hat. This can further increase the discomfort experienced by the wear around the region of the tops of the ears.
In addition to sunglasses, items of headgear which incorporate means for shading the eyes such as a sun visor arrangement, have been developed. In general, the visor part of such headgear extends orthogonally, or near orthogonally to the plane of the wearer""s face.
GM 2,102,670 discloses a visor construction whereby the visor part of the invention is fabricated into an open cell configuration. The plane at which the visor to designed to project is perpendicular to the forehead and hence can only shade the eyes of the wearer from certain directions.
SU 1,824,176 discloses a similar arrangement and is designed specifically for the driver of a vehicle. The visor of this invention is a solid barrier is split down the central line into two halves. The first half projects directly away from the forehead and is situated on the side of the headgear that is closest to the door of the vehicle. The second half of the visor is directed upwards, orthogonal to both the first section of the visor and to the forehead of the wearer.
One particular disadvantage of these types of visored headgear is that they only provide shading from the sun when the sun is above the plane of the visor. There is no provision included in the design of the headgear which shades the wearer from both direct sunlight and from reflected light and glare that approach the wearer from below the plane of the visor.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,192,017 details an example of visored headgear whereby the visor is removable and can be exchanged for different ones, displaying a differ logo, but the visor itself projects out from the forehead of the wearer at a slight downward angle. However, this angle is not sufficient to solve the above-mentioned problem.
The disclosure in U.S. Pat. No. 4,869,586 describes the use of an arrangement which allows the attachment of the lens portion of a pair of sunglasses to the peak of a cap. The lens arrangement is hinged along the top edge and thus can be placed in a shading position in front of the eyes or alternatively in a storage position when not required. As this invention does not allow for the shading of the eyes from sunlight from the side of the wearer, all round shading protection cannot be provided.
These examples of eye shades do not allow for efficient shading of the wearer from the sun, especially if the wearer tilts his head backwards or the sun is low in the sky. This may not only prove uncomfortable, but both detrimental to the health of the eyes of the wearer and, if sudden dazzling occurs, dangerous to the wearer. In addition, the visors of the prior art are fabricate from solid, non-transparent materials, and therefore the field of vision of the wearer is reduced.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to have improved eye shades for shading of the wearer from the sun.
The present invention seeks to address the above and other problems. In general, the present invention can be differentiated from the prior art by virtue of the fact that key structural parameters have been determined to maximize the correlation between shading from the sun and comfort of the wearer.
According to the present invention, there is provided in the first aspect, an eye shade comprising a headband and a transparent visor member, the visor member extending downwardly from the headband such that when worn it is positioned in front of the wearer""s eyes. In a particularly preferred arrangement, the visor member shaped such that it extends around the frontal region of the wearer""s head. That is to say that the visor is of the xe2x80x9cwrap aroundxe2x80x9d type.
One advantage the present invention has over sunglasses is that the headband construction fits comfortably on the forehead, preferably extending around the circumference of the head and does not need to rest on any facial feature such as the nose or the tops of the ears. The fact that the downward angle of the visor member relative to the plane of the face is small has an advantage over conventional sun visor designs in that it helps provide all around shading from the sun and eliminates the risk that the wearer will be suddenly dazzled by the sun, yet retaining the maximum field of vision.
In one preferred arrangement the top edge of the visor member is spaced away from the forehead, this arrangement having the advantage that the main body of the visor sits comfortably away from facial features such as the eyebrows and the nose. As many people wear spectacles to correct defects in their vision, an arrangement in which the visor member sits away from the face is particularly advantageous as the spectacles may be worn in conjunction with the eye shade.
The spacing of the visor member from the forehead may be achieved by any suitable means. In a particularly preferred arrangement, the head band include a spacer member which is preferably comprised of a foamed material.
Of the possible embodiments of the invention, two are particularly preferred. The first comprises a basic headband construction incorporating a visor member that is positioned in front of the eyes of the wearer such that the wearer is shaded and in further arrangements, protected from the sun or other light source. The second embodiment comprises the essential features of the invention incorporated in the design of an item of headgear, or hat.
In a further alternative embodiment of the present invention, essential features of the eye shade are incorporated into the design of a hat allowing an alternate method of attachment to the head. The advantage of this feature is that total shading of both the eyes and the crown of the head may be achieved with the use of a single device and not the rather cumbersome combination of glasses and a form of headgear.
In another aspect of the present invention, thee is provided a hat that incorporates an eye shade as described before. Therefore, the features disclosed above may be included in their entirety or in combination, into the construction of an all-in-one visored headgear. These features have been found to give rise to a particularly effective form of eye shade.
Another embodiment of the present invention has a visor member preferably configured with a resilient protective nosepiece upon which the eye shade may rest on a wearer""s nose without causing discomfort. This embodiment has a headband that wraps around the top edge of the visor member and is sewn or adhesively attached to the visor member. The headband may have a logo or other advertisement disposed on an exposed surface thereof. The logo or advertisement may be embroidered, stitched or otherwise affixed to the exposed surface of the headband. The headband may be provided with attachable ends that may be second together using various types of fasteners.
Yet another embodiment of the present invention provides for a foldable eye shade. In this embodiment, the visor member is preferably configured with the resilient protective nosepiece and distal ends of the visor member are secured to vented end members. The vented end members are made of a resilient material. The vented end members have a central mesh or screen that permits ventilation through the sides of the eye shade. The headband wraps around the top edge of the visor member and is sewn or adhesively attached to the visor member and the vented end members. The headband and the vented end members are bendable or foldable adjacent the respective distal ends of the visor member. The headband may be attached to an adjustable or stretchable material to allow the eye shade to be slipped over the top portion of the head to cover the eyes. Alternatively, the headband may be provided with attachable ends that are secured together using fasteners of various kinds.